Fletcher and Jean Howington Family papers

The Arthur Fletcher Howington Family Papers span four generations of the Howington and Griffith families. The papers cover 1826-1999, with the bulk related to Fletcher Howington's career during 1938-1978.

This collection is arranged in the following series: Correspondence, Diaries and Daybooks, Family Materials, Ministry Activities, Sermons, Church Administration, Church Bulletins, Financial and Legal Records, Photographs, Griffith and Howington Family Materials,and Greeting Cards.

The Correspondence Series is separated into family and non-family. Non-family correspondence includes both personal and professional letters. Because of the nature of his job, much of Fletcher Howington's letters fall under both categories. Both Fletcher Howington and his father A.F. Howington kept carbon copies of much of their outgoing correspondence, allowing one to often see both sides of letters between family members and on business matters.

The families corresponded heavily, especially while Jean Howington's four brothers served in World War II. Howington's brother Riley also served in the U.S. Army Air Force and died in France in 1944. They served in various branches and world theaters, creating a fairly comprehensive depiction of the soldier experience during the war, including a first-hand account of the Nuremberg Trials. Some of this correspondence is third party, to Jean Howington's parents or to the family at large.

It should be noted that Jean and Fletcher Howington often drafted responses to correspondence on the received card or letter, or on the reverse of other papers.

Sermons and church bulletins make up the bulk of the collection. The Sermons series includes both final versions, drafts, and related research. The sermons are mostly organized into numbered binders. A ledger book contains the key and index to sermon organization and a list of weddings, baptisms, and members received. These records run from 1937 to 1992 and are listed by order preached, as well as by date/location. The Family Papers series relates to the immediate family of Fletcher and Jean Howington. It includes term papers from undergraduate and graduate work, school report cards, and scrapbooks. Also included are papers related to family events, such as reunions and the purchase of a memorial window in Monroeville.

The Ministry Activities Series covers documents related to Fletcher Howington's ministerial work, but not specifically sermons or administrative issues. These include records from weddings and funerals, including eulogies, lesson plans from the Saturday School for Preachers and bible studies, and research on theological issues among the congregation. Examples of this research are on topics of communism and racial segregation, though related correspondence may be found in the Correspondence Series.

The Griffith and Howington Family series includes items belonging to both A.F. and Cora Kelly Howington, and Lee and Janie T. Griffith, as well as other family members. There are letters, sermons, business documents, and miscellaneous items.

The Greeting Cards series is mostly loose and unorganized. Some remain bundled by the Howington family, by year or holiday.